woelen

Dissolve some bismuth metal in conc. HNO3 and dilute this liquid 10 times. This leaves you with a colorless liquid of acidic bismuth nitrate (and probably also with some precipitate of basic bismuth nitrate). Dissolving the bismuth may take a long time. After the initial fast reaction, the reaction slows down very much and quite some heating may be required, or quite some patience. Set aside the metal in acid for a few days at a safe place, where no children or animals can touch the stuff. With the solution, you can form quite remarkable bismuth-halogen complexes with nice colors. This is a fairly safe experiment. Only the dissolving of bismuth in conc. HNO3 is fairly dangerous, because of the corrosive nature of conc. HNO3. Bismuth, although being a heavy metal, is only marginally toxic. The experiments are given here: http://woelen.scheikunde.net/science/chem/exps/Bi+halogen/index.html

I hope to receive a liter of triethylamine [MATH]N(C_2H_5)_3[/MATH] next weekend. I would like to make some quaternary ammonium compound by adding a fourth ethyl group to this, such that I get ammonium ion with all four H's replaced by ethyl groups [MATH]N(C_2H_5)_4^+[/MATH]. Such a quaternary ammonium ion is large and fairly unreactive. This opens up ways for preparing salts of complexes (e.g. the triiodide as mentioned in another thread), which are otherwise not accessible. Any organikers out there, who have an idea how such a methyl group can be attached to the triethylamine, perferrably using reagents, which are available for the home-chemist? Does anyone see a possibility using ethanol?

NI3 is a covalent compound in which the electronic structure is not very favorable. The electronic structure is such, that a slight agitation causes the structure to break down. The ionic compounds KI3, CsI3 and so on, are not really stable (in fact, they are quite reactive), but they are much more stable than NI3. These compounds have a completely different structure. In fact, NI3 is not a simple molecule, it has never been isolated as such. The stuff made by kewls and the like is not NI3, but NI3.nNH3. This compound does not consist of simple molecules NI3, coordinated to NH3 molecules, but it is one large 'macromolecule' of incredibly complex structure. The precise structure of this compound still is not known. One reason for this is that serious researchers don't like to fiddle with this crap, due to its explosive nature. Who would like to run the risk of destroying a multi-tonne crystal analysis X-ray device with a crap sample of NI3.nNH3 ? There are better compounds to use that expensive equipment for. Yet another interesting example of totally different properties are the azides. The ion N3(-) is quite stable, while the covalently bonded -N3 (e.g. HN3, Pb(N3)2, CuN3, AgN3) is impact sensitive and very explosive. So, compounds having very similar formulae may be totally different, due to important differences in electronic structures. NaN3 is stable, AgN3 is a high-explosive.

Albertlee, take time to 'digest' the answers, given by others. If you really want to learn things, then ask a few things and if answers are given, take the time to really understand these answers. In follow up posts you can concentrate on the things which you still did not understand. An example of inappropriate use of this forum: You ask something about hydroxide in acid. You get a good answer and now in your followup you suddenly ask a question about solubility of oxygen. This behavior does not really give us the impression that you think over the answers you obtain and just shoot out random questions.

This one may be interesting. Contains links to other sites and a nice article: http://groups.msn.com/TheAlchemistsCorner/alchemy.msnw Google on the combination of words history, chemistry, alchemy and you get quite some useful links.

Wow, that must have been a LOT of writing . Make this an on-line resource for others....

To my opinion you'd better not ask too much for all kinds of sources of chemicals. Kewls are reading this thread too and they may also buy chemicals from the published sources. This increases the risk of accidents and may introduce serious problems for the person and for the seller. The kewl gets injured, the source for chemicals disappears . If you really are interested, then I invite you to send a PM to me. I might be able to help you, but I first want some more information.

Show us, what you have done, how you do the computations, etc. If you do that, then you may expect more people to help you.

The triiodide ion is stable in water (I mentioned it already in another thread on SO2 and I2). It is a large ion and because of this, it only is stable in the solid state, when the counter-cation is large as well. LiI3 and NaI3 indeed do not exist in the solid state. When a solution of a 1 : 1 molar ratio of NaI and I2 is evaporated to dryness (carefully at low temp under reduced pressure), then still NaI and I2 separate. Solid KI3 can be obtained with difficulty, but CsI3 and also quaternary ammonium salts of I3(-) can be obtained in the solid state quite well. For RbI3 I don't know (I have no personal experience with that ), but I expect it to be between KI3 and CsI3. Indeed, NI3 is useless crap, no fun at all and smart people do not attempt to loose their limbs by making this crap.

Keep us updated . Especially the color-part is interesting. As you mentioned, this might open up ways for making whistle compositions with other flame colors than orange/yellow.

No, when you oxidize ammonia, then you obtain nitrogen gas and water, or even nitrogen oxide(s) and water. Btw, oxidizing ammonia is not easy at home for the average home chemist, it requires quite some apparatus and a good catalyst. Indeed, I want to suggest everybody over here not to play with HCN, KCN, or NaCN unless you REALLY REALLY know what you are doing. This stuff is a lethal poison . Cyanides are not easily obtained by the general public and there is a very good reason for that.

Copper sulfate and calcium chloride indeed can give rise to a yellow compound. The mechanism might be as follows: Copper chloride is formed from the chloride and copper ions in the mix (e.g. because small amounts of water are present and some CaCl2 dissolves). The copper chloride looses all its water of crystallization. This is taken op by the calcium chloride. Anhydrous copper (II) chloride is yellow/brown. When the stuff is allowed to stand in contact with air, then moisture is absorbed and the copper (II) chloride is hydrated and the color changes from yellow/brown to cyan/blue. BTW, this is a very good observation. Nice that you notice these details and do not simply neglect them.

If the oxidizer is KClO4 then I would not worry too much about the stability of the benzoic acid/KClO4 mixture. As far as I remember, benzoic acid is not such a nice powdery crystalline substance as sodium benzoate. So you might have problems to make a really good mix of KClO4 and benzoic acid. The latter is quite 'sticky'.

I have done the experiment with methanol, ethanol and boric acid. I had heard of it before, but this thread made me curious and caused me to perform the experiment myself. I was really surprised at the really clean green color of the flame, when methanol is used. With (denatured) ethanol the result is less convincing. The result is added to my website with some nice pictures. http://woelen.scheikunde.net/science/chem/exps/borate_ester/index.html No concentrated H2SO4 is needed for the nice green color. Just methanol and H3BO3 is sufficient.

A really nice site, with exceptional pictures is this one. I like reading german sites very much, but even if you don't read german, the pictures of the elements are really great! http://www.periodensystem.net/ Auch die deutsche Sprache sollst Du lernen! Dann gibt es noch viel mehr Chemie!

YT, you're right. I should have given the warning. In the hands of someone, who does not know its properties it is a really dangerous mix. I use this mix sometimes, but I know that it is dangerous and should only be used outside or in a good fumehood and it should only be made at ml-quantities.

I was teasing akcapr a little, that's all.... He should read the responses a little more carefully and be less in a hurry, and then he'll grasp the concepts. Aqua regia is a concentrated 3 : 1 molar ratio of HCl and HNO3. This dissolves gold by formation of chlorine and nitrosyl chloride. The gold is dissolved by means of a strong oxidizing action and complexing action. Another liquid (not an acid) which dissolves gold easily is a solution of NaCN or KCN, which is kept in contact with air intimately. Again, the combination of oxidation (oxygen being the oxidizer now) and complexation (cyanide being the ligand) results in quick dissolving of gold. Probably a mix of NaCN and H2O2 also is capable of dissolving gold. Any strongly oxidizing liquid, with chloride or cyanide as complexing agent can dissolve gold. An example is 30% H2O2 + 30% HCl + a little bleach.

No, all H(+) ions are equal. Some acids, however, are more equal than other acids .

SO2 indeed reacts with ater and iodine, itself being converted to H2SO4, the iodine being converted to iodide. A very remarkable reaction occurs, if excess SO2 is used. The excess SO2 reacts with I(-), forming deep yellow adducts [i.nSO2](-). You can observe these very special complexes by adding potassium iodide to an acidified solution of sodium sulfite or sodium bisulfite. Think of this. It is really remarkable, because most people think that iodide and sulfite do not react.

Suppose, you have a salt bridge of NaCl-solution. You also have NaCl at the anode beaker and NaCl at the cathode beaker. Now, if you apply a potential over the circuit, then the following happens: Cathode gives off electrons. These are absorbed by water molecules and H2 is formed, together with OH(-): 2H2O + 2e ---> 2OH(-) + H2 This would cause buildup of negative charge at the cathode beaker. The salt bridge, however, supplies positively charged sodium ions, which neutralize the charge at the cathode beaker. Now, you would have charge buildup in the salt bridge. This is compensated for, because chloride ions are moving from the salt bridge towards the anode beaker. Now, you would have negative charge buildup at the anode beaker, due to migration of chloride ions from the salt bridge. This in turn is compensated for, because the copper anode 'eats' electrons: Cu ---> Cu(2+) + 2e The Cu(2+) goes in solution and compensates for the extra Cl(-). In case of a graphite anode, you get 2Cl(-) --> Cl2 + 2e. In that case, the chloride ions are discharged and the electrons are 'eaten' by the anode. This closes the circuit. So, the net effect of the salt bridge is that positively charged ions from the bridge move to the cathode beaker and negatively charged ions move to the anode beaker. The salt bridge slowly is depleted and must be replaced by a fresh salt bridge every now and then. If electrolysis continues without replenishing, then the electrolysis goes slower and slower, but due to diffusion and electromotive forces also ions from the anode beaker (in your case Cu(2+)) can move towards the cathode beaker, although that would take a lot of time. In industrial electrolysis processes, special membranes are used, which are selective and only certain (small) ions can pass through them. So, in such processes there is no need to replenish. But for home use, a salt bridge is a very good alternative.